The experience of social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic: a qualitative lens on variability in compliance

Abstract

Social distancing emerged as a key public health recommendation designed to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 prior to the development of vaccines. Studies have focused on individual health beliefs and political orientation to explain variability in levels of compliance. The current study draws on in-depth interviews with a subset of respondents who had participated in a larger longitudinal study (n=54) to explore ways in which individuals managed and navigated this unique period. Drawing on basic tenets of symbolic interaction and life course theories, analyses highlighted social influences and lifestyle contingencies that shaped beliefs and affected variability in this form of compliance.

Acknowledgment

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of the National Science Foundation, Department of Justice, or National Institutes of Health.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This project was supported by Award Nos. 1558755 and 2028429, awarded by the National Science Foundation, and Award No. 2016-IJ-CX-0012, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U. S. Department of Justice, and in part by the Center for Family and Demographic Research, Bowling Green State University, which has core funding from The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [P2CHD050959]

Notes on contributors

Peggy C. Giordano

Peggy C. Giordano, PhD, is a distinguished research professor in the Department of Sociology at Bowling Green State University. Her research focuses on qualities and dynamics of close relationships during adolescence and young adulthood, and the influence of those close ties on a range of developmental outcomes, including juvenile delinquency and intimate partner violence.

Jennifer E. Copp

Jennifer E. Copp, PhD, is an associate professor in the College of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Florida State University. Her research focuses on crime and other problem behaviors during adolescence and young adulthood, as well as the consequences of criminal justice involvement for individuals and their families.

Wendy D. Manning

Wendy D. Manning, PhD, is the Dr. Howard E. Aldrich and Penny Daum Aldrich distinguished professor in the Department of Sociology at Bowling Green State University. She is the co-director of the National Center for Family and Marriage Research and Director of the Center for Family and Demographic Research. She is a family demographer with a research emphasis on family structure, union formation and stability and relationships among adolescents as well as adults.

Monica A. Longmore

Monica A. Longmore, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Sociology at Bowling Green State University. She is a social psychologist with interests in identity, dating and sexual relationships during adolescence and adulthood, and the ways in which these self and social processes influence emotional well-being.